Page 22 of Assassin's Heart
A harsh laugh filtered through the phone. “I have dealt with men far more dangerous than you, I am sure. Now let me talk to Leah.”
“Not quite yet.” I planted my fists on the counter. “Ever heard of the Assassin?”
A moment’s hesitation. “You’re not the Assassin.”
So that was a yes.
Technically, I wasn’t the assassin; Levi was. Or rather, he was the front man of our little operation. “No?” I asked silkily, letting him know how wrong he was. “Ask around. I think you’ll find that you’re wrong. If you can actually find me, that is.”
“Listen to me, motherfucker,” Windon growled. “This is between me and my sister. Whoever you are, you can fuck the hell off.”
I leaned over the phone, letting menace drip from my words. “That’s where you’re wrong,motherfucker.” I could feel my brother stares, feel them soaking in every word. “You waltzed into my town and messed with my woman, and it’s not going to take me long to find you and make you regret every last breath you’ve ever taken.”
A strangled sound came from the doorway to the kitchen. I didn’t look up, didn’t want to know what Leah felt about my words. She might never believe herself to be mine, but she was. Just because I couldn’t have her didn’t change how I felt.
The pad of bare feet crossing the room came to a stop next to me. I glared down at the phone. “Tell me where Brooke is and maybe I’ll let you walk away with your life.”
I heard Leah inhale, knew she was about to speak. Laying my hand over hers on the island, I squeezed.Wait.
She released her breath silently.
Trust. I swear my chest puffed up. And my brothers saw it, damn it. I could tell by Levi’s wide eyes and Eli’s smirk.
“I think I’ll wait a little while longer,” Windon said, his voice more confident than it should be. “In the meantime I think it might motivate my sister to hear her daughter’s voice. Don’t you think so, Leah?”
Leah’s hand trembled beneath mine. “Yes.”
She reached for the phone, but I held her back with a shake of my head. This should be a private moment and I wished I could give her that, but this might be our only chance to pick up clues. We needed to hear what Brooke said.
Leah’s glare burned into me.
“Mommy?”
Her head whipped around to focus on the phone. “Brooke? Mommy is here, love. I’m right here.”
“I’m ready to come home now. When will you pick me up?”
The little girl’s voice was quiet, careful, much as I imagined Leah’s had been as a child. Her past and her training might have helped hone her skills in a crisis, but her personality tended toward an introverted, quiet one. She’d fight tooth and nail where her daughter was concerned, but otherwise it was wait, see, evaluate. Brooke seemed to be the same.
“I know you want to be home, sweetheart,” Leah was saying. “I want you there too. I’m trying to make it happen, I promise.” She hesitated, fear flashing over her face. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“No. Mommy, Mrs. Lydia hurt her head. Is she okay? She couldn’t come with me.”
Leah dropped her elbows onto the island, her head into her hands. “She’s…” Her fingers dug hard into her hair. “She’s being looked at. Where are you—”
“I think that’s enough,” Windon said, cutting in. “We don’t want to get Brooke too worked up.” The man’s tone turned thoughtful. “She reminds me so much of you, Leah. Always watching, always thinking. You were just like that.”
Leah braced herself on the island. “You shut the fuck up about my daughter, Ross.” Her breath hiccupped. “There were so many other ways you could’ve handled this, a hundred different approaches to take. You took the one that guaranteed I would never forgive you. Ever.” She leaned close to the phone. “Do you remember what they did to Angelo that night? To me? Think about it hard, because I will make sure you suffer much, much worse.”
My chest swelled even more.
“I don’t have to think about it, Leah.” Regret colored the words, but I refused to believe it. Leah was right; he could have handled this another way. “I remember every day, every second. I would’ve helped you then. I can help you now. Just give me the recordings.”
“I can’t give you what I don’t have!”
“Then tell me where they are,” Windon barked. “Tell me and let me get them and this will all go away.”
“Will it?” Leah straightened, and I could see resignation in her eyes. “If you believe that, you’ve drunk more Kool-Aid than I ever thought possible.”
